Flirting 101
by DaPokemonMadster
Summary: What do you do when you're too embarrassed to confess to your crush? You try and make them do it, of course. Pokespe oneshot! (Originalshipping for Myracels's birthday!)


**In case y'all didn't know, today is MYRACELS'S BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND! So, here's your present! I hope you like it, and forgive me for the end being a little rushed, I literally finished it before classes started this morning ;-; (And just as a warning, this is my first try at romance).**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own this cover image, or the Pokémon Special/Adventures manga!**

Gold's straw let out a horrible sucking sound as it scraped along the bottom of his empty glass. He let out a bored sigh, and swished the leftover ice cubes around before glancing over at the boy opposite him, who was lying with his face buried in his arms on the sticky table top.

"Red bro, are you gonna tell me what's up?" Gold asked in a low voice. They were sitting in a less-than-mediocre restaurant, with gum stuck to the bottoms of the tables, and booths covered in cracked and peeling leather that was more than likely fake. Earlier that day, Gold had gotten an urgent call from Red stating that he needed him to come to Vermillion City right away, with no further explanation given. Gold had obliged, and dragged Silver along with him, only to be led to a shady diner with crappy food, and soft drinks that had no taste. Gold had drained his anyway, because it was a chance to annoy Silver all night by burping. Red ran his hands through his hair in frustration, and looked up. Gold noted that he hadn't touched a single thing on his plate.

"It's Green." Red finally uttered.

"Oh." Gold answered, in as understanding a tone as an 'oh' can convey.

"I like him and I think he knows it but he won't say anything and I can't tell him because if he doesn't like me then I don't know what I'm going to do and-" Red babbled.

"Whoa, calm down man. Take it slow. Deep breaths." Gold interrupted the outburst, leaning across the table to place a calming hand on Red's shoulder. Silver rolled his eyes and looked longingly out the window.

"Okay, sorry. Thanks Gold." Red patted Gold's hand absentmindedly, "But what I'm trying to say is, I decided that maybe if I drop hints, I can get _him_ to confess instead."

"Basically you're telling me that you have no clue how to flirt." Gold stated in a monotone. Red gulped.

"Yeah. And I figured you'd know how to do it. Besides, you got Silver to fall for you, and he's an emotionless robot too, y'know? We still don't know how you managed it..." Red said.

"Psh, he just couldn't resist the gorgeous me!" Gold grinned.

"Please." Silver rolled his eyes again, and punched Gold in the shoulder while trying to hide the blush creeping across his face with his other hand.

"So anyways!" Gold bounced up immediately and flashed Silver an affectionate grin before sliding under the table to pop back up next to Red. He slung his arm around Red's shoulders and began to gesture grandly, "The trick, my friend, is to be bold. Don't be afraid to drop small hints, wink, 'accidentally' brush too close.. that sort of thing. And I recommend taking him out to dinner. But.. maybe somewhere a little nicer than this place."

"You didn't do any of that when _you_ confessed." Silver said.

"Yes I did! You were just too head-over-heels in love with me to notice!" Gold declared.

"Oh really. I seem to remember your face going bright red and you stuttering all over the place." Silver grinned slightly.

"ANYway, if you follow my advice, you'll be golden. Pff, geddit? Golden?" The Hatcher sniggered. Red managed a weak smile.

"You really think it'll work?" He questioned tentatively.

"Of course, what's their to worry about? If it worked on someone like Silver, then Green's just a teeny step up from that, right?" Gold assured him.

"It _didn't_ work on me." Silver muttered.

"Let's go back to your house and get you prepared for tomorrow, Red!" Gold shouted, pointedly trying to ignore Silver.

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 **MISSION: Get Green to confess. LOCATION: Fancy Restaurant in Viridian. INSTRUCTOR AND OVERSEER: Gold. IN-FIELD AGENT: Red.**

" _Okay, remember, just play it cool and be smooth._ " Came Gold's tinny voice over the static of the communicator in Red's ear.

"Right, got it. Cool and smooth, cool and smooth…" Red repeated to himself, fighting down the urge to hyperventilate. He tugged at the collar of his white button-down. It was untucked, without a tie, and over blue jeans, as per Gold's instructions. The perfect 'dressy bad-boy look,' as Gold had said. Red nervously combed his fingers through his hair, and chewed on his lip, pacing back and forth in front of the gym.

" _Dude, calm down! You're making me nervous just looking at you! Take a deep breath._ " Gold said, and Red stopped pacing, shooting a quick glance at the bush Gold was crouched behind. He complied, drawing in a large gulp of air. He was fine, he was fine, he was fine… The door of the gym opened and Red nearly choked.

" _Okay! There he is! Go get 'im!_ " Gold cheered in his ear. Green slammed the door to the gym closed, and his piercing eyes quickly ran over Red, narrowing scrutinizingly.

"What's the occasion?" He asked, his eyes fixed pointedly on Red's shirt. Red flushed a bit, and fumbled with the hem of it, attempting to inconspicuously tuck it back in.

" _No Red, don't tuck it back in! If it annoys him enough then he'll do it for you and that'll create an opportunity!_ " Gold ranted.

"Oh uh… when's eating with you not an occasion?" Red replied smoothly.

" _Nice comeback! Well done!_ " Gold congratulated. Green raised an eyebrow.

"What's gotten into you tonight?" Green grumbled, but made no further comment. Red counted that as success.

"Well, are we going or not?" Green questioned in a bored tone.

"Right this way, handsome." Red winked, and bowed slightly, indicating the path into the heart of Viridian city. Green shot him a glance that was a mixture of both alarm and suspicion, before setting out at a brisk pace along the narrow road.

"Oh shoot Gold… I don't know if I just said something wrong.. he just looked at me funny." Red whispered into the small mic.

" _You're fine. He's just amazed at how you can be so incredibly romantic._ " Gold practically sang into his ear, " _But of course, seeing as you have me for a mentor._ "

"Who are you talking to?" Green's voice floated back, and Red jumped as if he had been dealt an electric shock.

"Oh! Uh..uh.. nobody.. in particular…"

"So you were talking to yourself."

"No! Yes! Maybe! I mean, what?" Red blurted, face flushing.

"Red, are you okay?"

"Fine! Fine, just fine. I mean, who wouldn't talk to themselves while walking to a restaurant, huh? Ahahaha..."

"I'm not talking to myself."

"Oh look! We've arrived! Red shouted, a little too loudly, and unceremoniously shoved Green through the door. The restaurant was indeed very nice. It was reminiscent of a family diner, but much more high-end, with spotless, white table cloths draped over the tables, and matching white napkins knotted around polished silverware. The lighting was soft, and came from chandeliers as opposed to fluorescent ceiling panels. The booths by the windows were gleaming, much different from the cracked and peeling examples that Red, Gold and Silver had sat on the day before.

" _Alright pal, you in? I'm right behind ya,_ " Gold's voice crackled in his ear. Red silently nodded, hoping that wherever Gold was hiding, he was close enough to see him.

"Here are your seat, sirs. My, you two look sweet together!" Giggled the waitress who showed them to their seats.

"We're not together. I don't know why I'm here." Green said bluntly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry.. I just assumed…"

"Well you shouldn't assume things about people you don't know a thing about, right?" Green snapped impatiently. The poor woman shot him a fearful glance, before tossing the menus on the table and hurriedly scrambling away, almost tripping on her ridiculously tall heels.

"That wasn't very nice, Green." Red admonished.

"Why? It's true isn't it?" The other snorted, before flopping on one of the booths.

" _Red! Now's your chance! Sit down next to him!_ " Gold hissed. Red tilted his head slightly to look over his shoulder, and saw Gold giving him a thumbs up from under the black trenchcoat, fake mustache, and thick glasses he was wearing. He took a deep breath, and slid into the same booth as Green. Their shoulders brushed up against each other, and Red thought his heart stopped momentarily.

"Red."

"Yes?"

"Why in the name of Mew are you sitting next to me? The booth across is empty. Why did you ask me out to dinner tonight anyway?" Green asked, turning to look at him in annoyance. Red tried for a grin that would make Gold proud. He failed dismally.

"Are you a Pikachu? Because you're shockingly beautiful." Red said, winking clumsily.

"Was that a pickup li-" Green began.

"Because.. BECAUSE I LIKE-" Red began, Green's eyes widened, "THE SHAPE OF YOUR HAIR." Red pulled up short. He could hear Gold groaning.

"The shape of-" Green began, but was cut off by a loud, angry shout.

"HEY! That guy over there, in the mustache! You aren't actually a senior citizen are you? SECURITY!

 **MISSION STATUS: Failure.**

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"Well of course it went so horribly, you _were_ relying on Gold, you know." Ruby sighed, glancing over the tops of his glasses at Red, who had relapsed into a sulk after the fiasco of the previous night. Immediately following Gold's arrest, Red had fled the restaurant, hopped on Aero, and flown all the way to Hoenn in an attempt to outrun his embarrassment. It wasn't working. At the moment, he was taking refuge in the far corner Ruby and Sapphire's secret base, clutching a skitty plushie and hiding his face in a decidedly frilly, pink pillow. Sapphire swung into the base on a vine.

"Hey senior Red! Got over yer slump enough ta go trainin' with me?" She asked eagerly. Red gave no indication that he had even heard her.

"Wow, yer _that_ upset, huh?" She tutted understandingly, "It wasn't all that bad. I mean, ya didn't end up saying anything that embarrassing, or even admitting yer love and then _havin' him conveniently forget it_ or anything like that." She stated, staring pointedly into the back of Ruby's head, who was trying with all his might to ignore her and continue his knitting.

"What I'm tryin' ta say is, ya didn't ruin your prospects. You've still gotta chance, as long as you do okay with it." She took another long look at her senior huddled in the corner, and then left the base with a sigh via the vines growing on the walls. As soon as she left, Red peeked up.

"What's your secret?" He asked the younger boy. Ruby stopped what he was doing, carefully removed his glasses and placed them on the worktable, and turned to face the champion.

"What do you mean?" The coordinator asked slowly.

"She's all over you, anyone can see it. And everyone knows you like her back too. Why aren't you guys together yet?"

"...I'd rather not get into the details of our relationship. Anyway, the one who currently has problems with theirs is you, am I right?"

"Yeah…" Red groaned, "But that's why I asked. I was thinking… Since you've hit it off so well with Sapph-"

"I really wouldn't put it like that." Ruby muttered.

"-maybe you can help me out! I'm sure you'd do a much better job than Gold-"

" _Any_ one could do a better job than Gold. Especially me."

"-and as an added bonus, I'll even put the idea of you getting to dress Silver up as a girl in Blue's head-"

"And this is a done deal." Ruby finished off, already grinning evilly at what he had planned for Silver's long, red hair, "Trust me, when I get through with you, you and Green will have the most _beautiful_ confession scene.." The Hoenn native sighed happily.

"That sounds good to me. So… what's your advice?"

"Well, in my experience the best way to get somebody interested is by ignoring the subject of love entirely. But for Green, we need some more drastic measures. I think you need to get on his radar by completely ignoring him." Ruby said wisely, picking up his glasses and polishing them on the hem of his shirt.

"You know… that actually makes a lot of sense… if he misses me, then maybe he'll tell me how he feels to get me back!" Red nodded eagerly, "You're a genius, Ruby!"

"Oh, I know." Ruby snorted, "Now don't forget to get that idea in Blue's head!"

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 **MISSION: Get Green to confess. LOCATION: Pallet Town. INSTRUCTOR (TOO BUSY TO ACTUALLY OVERSEE): Ruby. IN-FIELD AGENT: Red.**

"I'm glad you could make it to Kanto today, Crystal!" Professor Oak smiled, "There was a bit too much paperwork for just myself and Green, so I thought we could do with a bit of assistance from a specialist." Crystal smiled, brushing her windswept hair back behind her ears. She had spent the past month helping professor Elm in New Bark town, while tending to Oak's second laboratory on the outskirts of Cherrygrove. However, on this particular day, the professor of Pallet had been swamped with reports and papers from an acquaintance in Sinnoh, by the name of Rowan. It was quite often that Crystal was called to Kanto to help sort through papers, and despite the fact that it would occasionally throw off her plans for the evenings, she didn't mind. The fact that she was a workaholic was no secret. Crys pulled on a spare lab coat over her usual skirt and red shirt, and sat down at a desk that was piled high with a monstrous load of written data. She hardly bothered to look up as Green entered the room, scanning a document and running a hand through his hair irritably. But then she realized something.

"Hey Green, where's Red? Doesn't he usually come hang out with you when you're working in the lab?" Crys asked in concern.

"I dunno where he is. After last night I haven't heard a thing from him, but it's fine. He always distracts me." Green grunted, not taking his eyes off of the paper he was clutching.

"Last night? What happened last night? Green, what did you do?!" Crystal gasped, swiveling her chair around to face him.

"Nothing. I mean it." He said in answer to Crys's patronizing gaze, "He took me out to a restaurant and was acting a bit weird, and then he just yelled some random things out and ran away. Oh yeah, and Gold was arrested for impersonating a senior citizen." Green answered in detail to quell her questioning glare.

"Oh my Arceus… Has he called you at all today?" Crys asked.

"No. Is he supposed to?"

"Have _you_ called _him_?"

"No. Why would I?"

"You know what Green? you should go check on him. He could be sick for all we know, especially considering how he was acting last night. Oh! And you could take him some baked goods! I have a basket on hand actually. Here you are! And take this bouquet with you too! It might cheer him up! Don't worry about the papers, I'll handle them. Go on! Out with you!" Crystal blabbered as she shoved a basket and bouquet into his arms, forcefully shoved him out of the lab, and slammed the door in his face. Green heard the lock click.

"...Why are all the flowers red and green?" He wondered aloud.

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"'So all I have to do is hole myself up in my room, have no contact with whatsoever with Green, and he'll come rushing to my house without me having to lift a finger?'" Red read aloud from the note Ruby had given him before he had departed Hoenn. He smiled grimly. It had taken all of Red's willpower not to call, or even text Green in apology for the previous night. But it would be worth it. It would all be worth it…

Red's head jerked up at the sound of a knock on his front door, and he could feel his pulse quicken. The door creaked open, and footsteps echoed down the hallway. His throat clenched as Green Oak entered the living room. He was carrying a basket and a bouquet of flowers.

"What's up, Red?" Green asked as he placed the basket of goodies on the coffee table and seated himself on the chair opposite Red's. Red silently pointed at the parcel. How long was he not supposed to talk to him?!

"Oh yeah. Those are for you. Crystal gave 'em to me, and forced me to come over here. She was worried you might be sick or something... Dude, why are you crying?"

 **MISSION STATUS: Failure.**

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Yellow glanced over at Red sympathetically. She wasn't entirely sure on the details of what had happened, but she realized that he was both very upset, and that it probably had something to do with Green. Red had knocked on the door of her house last night, and staggered inside as soon as she had swung the door open. He had then proceeded to collapse on the couch with a sob. Wally told her he didn't mind when she informed him that Red was most likely going to stay the night, so she had brought him some blankets and left him to make himself comfortable in the living room. That morning Yellow had brought him a tray of breakfast, but it wasn't until the afternoon when she realized that he hadn't touched it that she decided she'd better talk to him. She sat herself down at the foot of the sofa, and waited for him to glance up from under the covers to start.

"Red, I'm not sure what happened last night, but I think I can guess." Yellow said.

"...Is it that obvious?" He mumbled.

"Uh, yeah. It is." Yellow said bluntly.

"Brilliant. So Ruby's tactic didn't work after all." Red sighed.

"Ruby? No offense, but you went to _Ruby_ for dating advice?" Wally asked as he strolled into the room.

"Yeah, I get it, I make bad choices about date instructors!" Red groaned, throwing one of the blankets over his face.

"Ruby was a bad choice. He doesn't know the first thing about dealing with love." Wally tutted.

"Well what would you suggest then?" Red shouted angrily, "Do you have advice that's better than trying to ignore him, or slip him bad pickup lines?"

"Hmmm…" Yellow said pensively, "Well, when Wally confessed to me we were out under the stars at night, and it was absolutely beautiful… I know! What if you take him to see the fireworks tonight? There are going to be some in Pallet, and they're supposed to be spectacular!"

"That's a great idea, Yellow!" Wally agreed enthusiastically. Red looked up hopefully.

"You think so? Well, I guess you two do have the best relationship of anyone else I've asked…"

"You should go for it, Red!" Wally cheered. Red nodded decisively.

"Okay… I'll do it."

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 **MISSION: Get Green to confess. LOCATION: Pallet Town firework display.**

 **INSTRUCTORS: Wally & Yellow. IN-FIELD AGENT: Red.**

Red sat beside Green, the dry, summer grass tickling his are feet as they gazed up at the dark, vaulting sky, waiting for the bursts of shimmering light to appear. They were seated on a hillside overlooking the field where the rest of the town were sitting. Best seat in the house. Red shivered in anticipation, and fought down the urge to snuggle up next to Green, seeing how well that had worked out last time. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. 9:05 PM. What was going on? The fireworks were scheduled to begin at 9:00 PM on the dot. Red frowned up at the stars. Then the crackling of a loudspeaker broke the expectant silence.

" _I'm very sorry ladies and gentlemen, but it seems that all of the fireworks are wet. We're going to have to postpone the display and reschedule for tomorrow night._ " Disappointed groans filled the air, as the entirety of Pallet town got up from where they were sitting and morosely packed up their belongings. Red slumped. His plans, ruined. For the third time.

"Hey." Green's voice sounded as Red felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. He looked up.

"You're really terrible at flirting, you know." Green grinned, as he leant in with a kiss.

 **MISSION STATUS: Success.**

 **A/N: Happy Birthday again, and I really hope you liked it! I actually had fun coming up with the idea, but I dunno if I wrote it out well enough or not... (These two are actually kinda growing on me..)**


End file.
